The Xtinguish Crooked River Conversation

These are 18 unique conversations through pieces of culture. They consist of “Crooked Segments” and range from Culinary, to fine arts, to recreation, and science. Join the conversation, express your voice!

Crooked River Conversation

Presented by

Crooked River Contrasts

The Cuyahoga River watershed’s premier travelling photography and interactive media exhibit. With 12 locations, WICK Poetry kiosks, and 6 photographers featured, YEAR-ROUND opportunities, and a basic structure of being “free and open to the public” this conversation is a must to engage.

The conversation that will speak to your taste buds! Chefs throughout Northeast Ohio regularly get their inspiration from our unique regional culture. Look for additions and updates here and watch for the Crooked Culinary dishes that will be featured in the month of June throughout the Cuyahoga River watershed at some of your favorite establishments!

Scholars throughout northeast Ohio’s history have found inspiration from the story of the Cuyahoga River including journalists, award-winning authors, lyricists, and academia. West Creek Conservancy has curated a speaker’s bureau who will be featured throughout the year at multiple locales. Come listen, talk, and converse with our scholars.

Everything that we are working toward would be lost if the next generation didn’t have a strong voice in this conversation. Crooked Creations is a youth art showcase that will engage and feature school age students within this commemoration year. With this conversation, we are truly Igniting the Future.

The Cuyahoga River is lucky enough to have five excellent park districts whose jurisdiction encompasses the entirety of the watershed. These include (from headwaters to the mouth) The Geauga Park District, Portage Park District, Summit Metro Parks, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and Cleveland Metroparks. This conversation will highlight some of the assets we have within.

The culture of performing arts is well-known to be strong in northeast Ohio. Inspiration comes in many forms in this world. Cleveland Public Theatre derived their voice in this conversation through their re-commissioning of a performance that is a must attend! Fire on the Water, the acclaimed multimedia theatrical event, returns to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1969 burning of the Cuyahoga River in an all-new version. Fire on the Water is a fast-paced series of short plays inspired by this pivotal moment in Cleveland’s history.

The filmmaking community is a segment of our culture that visually entices us through their storylines, actors, video editing mastery, and many other behind the scenes intricacies. This commemorative effort will be getting special attention from many of these silver screen creations throughout the year. This conversation through cinema will showcase these!

We, as a populous, look for inspiration in our everyday lives. This conversation series showcases how our culture is shaped by our shared waterway. Crooked Constitution will strive to provide insight into how we need to look to the future. Our vision needs to be 2020 and beyond.

Music is the soul of our culture. Our river has been a muse to many a musician since the 1969 fire. Notable artists include Randy Newman (Burn On), REM (Cuyahoga), numerous local musicians and many others. Our culture of music, from being the Rock ‘N Roll capital of the world to the Akron Jazz district, and numerous world-renown venues, has gained attention for decades. The Xtinguish Stage will make an appearance across the region highlighting these assets throughout 2019.

There are 18 breweries within 1 mile of the Cuyahoga River. That fact is no coincidence! Regionalism is a large focus of the artistic voice of local Brewmasters. We will be highlighting these breweries with an easy to use interactive map, an Xtinguish Series of Beers that will be available in the month of June, and a true focus on the waterway that brought them all to craft their art here.

The Cuyahoga River is a symbol of efforts to clean up America’s waterways. Famous for catching fire, the Cuyahoga is now sparking excitement. Wildlife and people are returning. The Cuyahoga River Water Trail will take advantage of new opportunities and create the lasting legacy of the rejuvenation of the Cuyahoga River. Join us in the “conversation”! Kayak the river!

The Lighted Boat Parades of Cleveland have become a unique part of the culture of our river. The 50th commemoration efforts wouldn’t be complete without numerous boats on the river at dusk on the anniversary date! (June 22nd). Make your way to the flats, partake in the festivities all of the partners will be putting on, and enjoy the Xtinguish Crooked Cruising Boat Parade at dusk. Boaters, contact us to join in.

Our river, our residents, our communities have a voice. The Crooked Couplets, in partnership with the WICK poetry Center, will be working to install a line of poetry on every bridge that crosses the Cuyahoga River from the headwaters to the mouth. These lines will create 1 contiguous poem and will be tied to a digital tool for easy interaction no matter which bridge you happen to cross. The Cuyahoga River is speaking. Are you listening?

Working alongside the Flaming River Arts organization and many impactful voices in the LGBTQ community, this conversation will give voice on the regional influence that the Cuyahoga River had on this community and will also have a few impact events throughout 2019. These events will truly be a must attend!

West Creek Conservancy is your host for everything Xtinguish. We strive to connect all of Northeast Ohio, and to protect natural assets that we have! Our mission is to enrich the lives of by conserving natural habitats, restoring the ecological value and sustainability of urban lands, and expanding neighbourhood opportunities to experience nature. This conversation will highlight what to expect from us in this role. We will also highlight some of the high-level projects and programs that we are currently leading to give you the extent of our true impact on the region!

Contact us if you would like to get involved in Xtinguish, other West Creek Conservancy programs, or support our efforts to make Nature your Neighbor.